An Evening of Art Song

An Evening of Art Song is my first of two composition recitals I am required to give before I can graduate with my Bachelor of Music Composition degree from Kansas State.  The recital includes the world premiere performance of the Songs of the Prairie, and recordings of Water Box Musings and a Welsh folk song arrangement, Ar Lan y Môr​. 

At a Glance

Kolby Van Camp (b. 1999, ASCAP) is a nationally recognized composer, as well as a conductor, vocalist, and musician.  As a composer, Van Camp's works have been performed at events and conferences from the regional level to the 2019 National ACDA Conference.  He is frequently commissioned to write choral works and contemporary art songs of all forms and variations.  When not writing music, Van Camp can also be found publishing it as the founding president of the desktop publishing company, Novus Music Publishing, Inc.  Van Camp has performed at conferences from the regional level to the national level, and has performed as both chorister and soloist in such illustrious venues as the Mormon Tabernacle, Carnegie Hall, and the Weill Recital Hall.

In Flanders Fields

Commissioned by Dr. Joshua Oppenheim for the 2018 "Real Men Sing" festival in Fresno, CA, In Flanders Fields was conceived after I discovered a family member of mine was a decorated hero in WWI.  I immediately reacquainted myself with the powerful poem of the same name written by Dr. John McCrae on the field of the Second Battle Ypres on May 3, 1915.  Immediately, I began composing and before the day was over, I had a finished draft on the desk of Dr. Oppenheim.  The rest is history, and I had the honor of seeing an ensemble with which I sang in high school, conducted by my mentor, perform it at the 2019 National ACDA convention.  It was a truly moving experience that I will forever be grateful to have shared with so many incredible musicians.